


Out of the Cold

by Webdog177



Series: Whiterose Smut Series [3]
Category: RWBY
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, F/F, Sexual Content
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-06
Updated: 2018-01-06
Packaged: 2019-03-01 09:00:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 14,289
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13291512
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Webdog177/pseuds/Webdog177
Summary: When Weiss Schnee get locked out of her dorm room by her surprisingly amorous roommate, cheerful and flighty Ruby Rose lets her bunk over for the night. Naturally, things can never stay simple as that, can they? [College AU / Two-parter / Whiterose]





	1. Chapter 1

0 – 0 – 0

**Out of the Cold**

**Part 1**

0 – 0 – 0

_Hi Weiss! Can you do a girl a solid and find somewhere else to crash tonight? My girlfriend is over! Thanks, I owe ya ;-3_

For a solid two minutes Weiss stared at the screen of her phone, not sure whether to blink and hope the message sent to her simply disappeared, simply a figment of her imagination, or to take it at face value and give up.

According to the timestamp, the message had been sent at a quarter to twelve. It was now midnight, and that meant Weiss was effectively stranded outside her room.

She had entertained, briefly, the notion of stomping up to her dorm room in hopes of shouting at her dark-haired, yellow-eyed roommate and her so-called ‘girlfriend’ that some people had to study, and to find somewhere else to… to… do _whatever they were doing!_ But, on the other hand, it was still the beginning of the semester, and being new to Vale University she didn’t want to alienate her roommate before she even had the opportunity to make any real friends.

Still, though, it didn’t stop Weiss from being supremely pissed off at the situation. Never before in her life had she even entertained the thought of actually being sexiled from her dorm. She had heard of it happening, of course; on television and those insipid romantic comedies. But now that it had happened, and to her of all people, she didn’t know what to do. She had her messenger bag with her laptop, a couple books and assorted tools in lieu of her purse she usually carried around. But other than that, her clothes, her pajamas, toothbrush and toothpaste, were all back in her room.

Not having a change of clothes she could ignore. Maybe even a lack of pajamas, if she were truly despondent. But her toothbrush and toothpaste? Such things were required at least twice a day. That would not do at all.

As she walked in the front door of her dorm and stood there silently staring around the empty common room, she considered her options.

It was still too early in the semester for Weiss to have made any friends, and she hadn’t joined any clubs yet – so that mean there was no one to turn to with similar interests and hobbies. So that was out. The other students in the dorm had all met each other – however briefly – during a short introductory meeting at the beginning of the term. But for the life of her Weiss hadn’t brought herself to approach anybody yet, simply preferring to be left to her own devices. The dorm seemed a quiet place, most of the residents generally minding their own business and that had suited Weiss just fine.

_Except when your roommate kicks you out to have some sort of— of – tryst in your room!_

Feeling her lip curl in irritation at her predicament, Weiss clenched her hands tightly into fists and stalked up towards her room, hoping – at least, God willing – that her roommate and her _friend_ hadn’t started anything yet, and Weiss could gather at least a change of clothes, her toothbrush and toothpaste, and then duck out before she made things awkward. She could work out the details later.

As she neared her room and fished out her keys from her bag, a strange sound made Weiss’ eyes narrow. She slowed to a stop in front of her door and leaned forward, listening closely.

Part of the reason the dorm was usually so quiet was by way of politeness to everyone else, the walls were thin enough to carry sounds. If you were to talk at a normal volume, you could easily be heard outside the room, and then some. Weiss knew this beforehand and quite liked the idea of living in a quiet area, or at least, where the other tenants actively tried to keep quiet for others’ sakes. Weiss was here to study, not to have fun and bother others.

That being said, the slightly muffled sounds of grunts, whimpers and sighs coming from Weiss’ room told her all she needed to know about her timing, and all she could manage was a quiet and very apt,

“Fuck.”

So the change of clothes was out. As was the toothbrush.

Mustering up what dignity she could, Weiss trudged back downstairs to the common room and plopped herself down on one of the couches. It was worn, well-used and lumpy, a dirty mustard yellow color, and quite frankly not even the best place to have a seat and relax. But it was all she had at the moment.

And Weiss was never one to complain.

Seriously, her roommate had seemed like such a nice, level-headed girl. A quiet, bookish girl named Blake… the exact kind of girl that Weiss liked to share her personal space with, if only because she knew this sort of thing would never happen to her. But it had.

If she were honest with herself, Weiss could understand and expect that sex was a very real and common thing in college. At least, to other people. Not her. Weiss had come to Vale University to study, not to fraternize with others. And somehow, perhaps foolishly, she had figured her unassuming roommate shared that opinion.

Clearly not.

Well, whatever. Things were as they were, and there was little Weiss could do at the moment. She was, for all intents and purposes, locked out of her room and had to make do the best she could.

Still steaming, she flopped her legs out on the lumpy old couch, grimacing slightly at the feeling of sleeping in jeans and a sweater. It was uncomfortable, made even more so with the knowledge that she had no other choice save for sleeping in her underwear in the common room, and Weiss did what she could to minimize her discomfort by curling into a tightly wound ball against the cushions of the sofa.

It was past midnight, and she was tired. She had a test to study for in the morning – the first one of the semester, a luck would have it – and her irritation at her misfortune only made sleep harder to grasp.

Eventually though, Weiss felt herself slowly drift off to sweet oblivion.

0 – 0 – 0

Being awoken by insistent poking was not something Weiss was accustomed to. Growing up with little physical affection – her parents were more of the vocal type – made her somewhat ill at ease with being touched, and it was all Weiss could do to not snarl in response to whoever it was that saw fit to jab their finger into her cheek when she was trying to sleep.

“Weiss. Hey, Weiss.”

The fact that whoever it was that was poking her was also calling her name was just enough to keep her anger to herself and blink blearily up at her tormentor.

“Wha—huh?” She muttered intelligently.

Her thoughts were a blur; _where am I? Why is it so bright? Why am I so uncomfortable? Am I not in my bed?_ And it took a few moments for her mind to clear enough for the situation to flitter back into her mind like a cruel joke of a spiteful child.

Locked out of her room. Sexiled.

Forced to sleep on the couch of her dorm’s common room.

No toothbrush.

She groaned, her arm coming up to cover her face. Why could people just not let her be?

Her arm lowering back down and pushing herself up on her elbow, Weiss examined the person – the girl – who had woken her up. Short, but definitely taller than her, and dressed in a dark hoodie and jeans, a backpack slung over one shoulder, the girl blinked her bright silver eyes down at her. She looked vaguely familiar, her shoulder length dark brown hair – the tips of which dyed a strikingly bright red – stood out, if her round, pace face did not. Weiss recalled seeing her at the dorm introduction the first day of school, but for the life of her couldn’t recall the girl’s name.

“What… what is it?” She asked, her voice hoarse and slow to come out.

The girl smiled, relieved. “Oh, thank God you’re alive.” She said. “You were out like a light. I wasn’t sure you were gonna wake up.”

Pushing herself up fully, Weiss rubbed her eyes and glared at the girl. “Clearly I live.” She said flatly. “I was just sleeping.”

“Yea I could see that.” She chuckled softly. “Though, you could probably find a better place to crash than down here. I’m pretty sure I occasionally see homeless people sleep on these from time to time.”

Feeling her spine stiffen, Weiss leapt from the couch with all the speed of a starving man at a feast, brushing furiously at her clothing. It was only after she heard the girl giggling loudly did she realize that it had been a joke.

Ah, yes. A joke. Weiss was familiar with those. But only during the daytime. Joking started at seven.

 “Thank you for that.” Weiss said stiffly, her face tight and her lips thin. “I really appreciate it.”

“Sorry, sorry!” The girl said, still giggling. “But you gotta admit, there are better places to sleep than these couches. Why not sleep in your room?”

Crossing her arms over her chest, Weiss looked away. “I can’t go to my room. I got sexiled and don’t have anywhere else to go.”

The girl’s giggles subsided. “Why not stay at a friend’s place, then?”

Weiss felt her eyebrows furrow and her lip curl, but refused to answer. Saying that one had no friends was almost as pathetic as it was depressing, so it was better not to say anything.

After a moment, the girl spoke again, her tone still chipper. “Well, how about you stay the night with me? As luck would have it, my sister is gone for the night, so we have a spare bed.”

Weiss blinked, her attention shifting back to the girl before her. “Really? Your sister won’t mind?”

Snorting, she shrugged, her eyes rolling. “Well, seeing as she just _had_ to duck out for the night stay over with her girlfriend… yea, I don’t see why not.”

Again Weiss blinked, her brain putting things together when it otherwise wouldn’t have bothered. It just seemed like too big of a conscience.

“What is your sister’s girlfriend’s name?” She asked slowly.

The girl blinked her silver eyes owlishly. “Um, Blake. I think.”

Well, that answered that, at least. Weiss sighed heavily, cursing her luck that the sister of her roomate’s girlfriend would be the one to find her huddled like a hobo on the couch in the common room. Maybe at the end of all this, word would find its way back to Blake and the dark-haired girl would feel a _little_ guilty about putting out Weiss this much.

But first, important matters.

“Are you sure I can stay with you?” Weiss asked clearly.

“Yup!” The girl nodded, determined. “It’s absolutely no problem. Stay as long as you want to.”

“Then, I accept. Thank you.” she replied, thankful for at the very least somewhere warm to stay for the night. “I promise I’ll be quiet, and out of your hair first thing in the morning.”

The girl waved away Weiss’ promise. “No worries. I like the company. Yang is always gone anyway; doing this and that. Having you around would be much better.” She cracked a wide grin, her silver eyes sparkling with humor. “Besides, I can’t let a cute girl like you sleep alone in the common room. Not will all the homeless people wandering around. Oooooh…” He wiggled her fingers dramatically.

“Hold on.” Weiss said, climbing to her feet. “What’s your name? I remember your face, but…”

Blinking again, the girl tilted her head to the side. “Don’t remember me?” She giggled, blushing slightly. “That’s weird. Usually people remember me – I tend to make an impression on most people. But I guess next to you I wouldn’t.”

Weiss ignored the obvious remark to her appearance; her pale skin and long, prematurely white hair, oftentimes the reason why she stood out from others so well.

Instead, she frowned deeply. “Well, how do you remember my name, then?”

Shrugging, the girl smiled. “You’re name is _Weiss Schnee_. I mean come on, it’s not exactly easy to forget.”

Huffing slightly, Weiss crossed her arms over her chest, cursing not for the first time her parents for not changing her name when they emigrated from Atlas to Vale. She had been a baby at the time, and it would have been all too easy – and saved Weiss from years of subtle teasing at her clearly non-native sounding name.

But the past was past, and Weiss had gotten over it.

“Fine. Well, what is your name, in that case?” Weiss asked, her eyes flicking back towards the girl who had offered her a bed for the night.

The grin she sent back at Weiss was wide, nearly blinding. “My name is Ruby. Ruby Rose. Glad to put you up for the night, temporary roomie!”

0 – 0 – 0

“Aaaaaaand we’ve arrived!” Ruby said as she ushered Weiss into her room. “Welcome, one and all, to Casa Rose Xiao Long.

“Shh.” Weiss muttered softly, stepping around the girl from the hallway. “It’s late and people are trying to sleep.”

“Hmph.” Ruby stuck her nose in the air as she shut to door behind them. “Party pooper.”

Rolling her eyes, Weiss turned to survey the room. It was, unsurprisingly, much like her own. A single room with two beds, one on either side, and a couple of dressers and desks. The similarities ended there, as opposed to Weiss’ own sparsely decorated dorm room, Ruby’s was littered with posters of various movies and what she understood were video games, stuffed animals on the beds, and what looked to Weiss suspiciously like a pair of boxing gloves hanging on the wall.

Ruby seemed to notice where she was looking and chuckled. “Those are my sister’s.” She said. “She’s into boxing.”

“Ah.” Well, that meant she would keep her complaints to her roommate and her potentially formidable girlfriend polite and cordial. Weiss was skilled at fencing, but as a mild interest at best. It had been a long time since she had any true presence in the sport. Finally, she turned back towards Ruby, who stood there, her hands in the pockets of her hoodie and her grin expectant.

“It’s a nice room.” She said, for lack of anything better to say.

Ruby laughed, dropping her backpack on the floor and unzipping her sweater, slipping her arms through the sleeves. “Thanks! When I first got here my sister offered to let me share her room. I figured – why not? We shared a room back home so it wouldn’t be any different, right?”

At Weiss’ nod, she continued. “But now she’s always gone. It’s either she’s got club stuff, or stays at her friend’s dorms, or her girlfriend’s now, I guess.” She shrugged. Her energy and carefree attitude, which up until now had been her standard, suddenly melting away. “So, she’s never really around anymore. It’s just me here. It gets kind of lonely.”

“Oh. Um, I’m sorry.” Weiss said, taken slightly aback at Ruby’s change in behavior.

Blinking, the girl’s smile returned. “No, no, it’s fine.” She said. “I’m making some friends and it’s pretty sweet having a roommate that’s barely ever here. Anyway! Don’t sweat it. You can sleep in my bed and I’ll crash on my sister’s.”

That made Weiss pause. “Really? But that’s your bed. I couldn’t possibly…”

Waving her hand dismissively, Ruby’s grin only widened. “Don’t worry! You’re my _guest_ , after all. I insist that you take my bed. It’s way more comfortable anyway. I have absolutely no problem taking the other one for the night.”

“But, it’s your bed.” Weiss repeated, even _if_ Ruby’s looked much softer and oh-so-inviting. “You should sleep in it.”

“Like I said, it’s fine. I can take Yang’s.” Ruby grin then turned slightly mischievous, the corners of her lips curling up noticeably. “Unless you want to sleep together?”

For a few moments, Weiss stared, not quite sure she had heard correctly. Had Ruby seriously just said that? They barely knew each other! For that matter, how on Earth did she know that Weiss was… well… like _that_?! She had never really told anyone, let alone this girl that had pretty much just met. Was it a lucky guess? Or had she given off some sort of unintended signal?

Suddenly feeling as though staying the night in a random girl’s dorm room was not one of her better ideas, Weiss cross her arms over her chest and turned away to hide her suddenly burning cheeks. “W-what? No! What the fuck are you talking about?”

Ruby’s laugh, though probably not intended as such, cut deeper than Weiss would have admitted to. “Damn, overreacting a bit? Sorry, I didn’t mean it like that. It was only a joke.”

Sneering to herself, Weiss settled with a nod. _Of course it was a joke. It always was a joke_. “You know, before I thought your offer was too good to be true. Now I am afraid it has some kind of price tag attached to it.”

“Didn’t I say you’re free to stay as long as you want to? I’m not gonna charge you money.”

“Not all fees are paid with money.” Weiss bit out angrily, wanting to take back to words even as I spoke them.

But if Ruby was put out by her tone, she didn’t show it. Laughing softly, she said, “I promise you, Weiss, that my intentions are absolutely honorable.” She then snickered. “Unless you don’t want them to be?”

Weiss huffed, not sure how to even respond to that. She was completely out of her comfort zone, having grown up with no exposure to anything that even resembled flirting in any shape or form. It was new to her, strange and alien. The closest thing she ever got to this was a clumsy, stammering pick-up line she had heard once in a cheesy romance movie to a girl she had liked her second year of Atlas High.

She got summarily rejected, and it still stung when she thought back to it.

“Maybe I’ll go back to the common room.” She muttered, hefting her bag over her shoulder.

“Well, if you insist.” Ruby sighed. “But! Consider this: A warm bed instead of a cold, lumpy, slightly stinky couch, a working sink and bathroom just through that door, and, perhaps most important, a witty, smart, charming companion instead of dust bunnies scattered around the floor in the common room.”

Her grin widened to almost shit-eating proportions as she leaned forward, her hands on her hips. “Quite the deal, huh?”

It _did_ sound nice. Much better than the cold, dark and lonely common room. And Weiss was really tired. Finally she sighed, “Fine. But why do you want me to stay so badly?”

Shrugging, Ruby hummed noncommittally. “Call it loneliness with Yang gone so often. Or call me a sucker for people in trouble. I saw you there, huddled in a cute little ball of sadface on the couch and knew I had to help somehow.”

Weiss blinked rapidly, her hand raising to her chest. “Y-you! Were you watching me sleep?”

“No!” She said quickly, but then relented. “Well, maybe a little. But only for a minute! I had to make sure you were still alive. You looked pretty creepy when I first walked in and saw you; like a ghost or zombie or something.”

Weiss felt her cheeks color, and tugged at her white sweater self-consciously. It wasn’t _her_ fault her favorite color always did weird things with her complexion!

“Whatever.” She muttered, letting her arms fall to her sides. “Fine. So… beds?”

Her grin returning, Ruby hopped over to her bed and began moving around the assorted plushies covering it like some kind of field of magical creatures. “You’ll use my bed, of course!” She said, turning her face towards Weiss. “I guess you don’t have any pajamas, huh?”

Weiss blinked. “As your sister and my roommate were already at it when I got back, yes, that is obvious.”

Ruby snickered. “Ah. That makes sense. Yang was always a ‘quick to start, slow to finish’ kind of girl.”

“Thanks for the information.” Weiss said dryly.

“No problem. You can just use some of mine.” The other girl said, opening up her draws and fishing out a black tank top and white cotton pants. She handed them to Weiss, who took the clothes hesitantly. Was she really going to wear another woman’s clothes? Clothes she most likely slept in before? Perhaps as recently as a couple days ago?

“Bathroom’s in there.” Ruby continued, gesturing to the only other door in the room, obviously leading to the small, attached bathroom that every double in the dorm had. “Feel free to use whatever you want. But, uh, you might wanna stay away from Yang’s stuff; just a fair warning. It’s all color-coded, though, so that shouldn’t be a problem.”

Nodding, Weiss dropped her back on the floor and gathered the clothing in her arms, entering the bathroom and sighing heavily.

Really, this shouldn’t be as big as she was making it out to be. Weiss was a grown woman – well, just about anyway – and should be fine with this. Ruby was just helping her out of a jam, one she found herself in regardless of whose fault it was, and Weiss was obliged to thank her for the hospitality.

They why, _why_ , did Ruby make her feel so… _weird_?

Was it her sudden friendliness? Weiss had friends in high school, if by friends she meant her fellow music club members and her classmates she was more familiar with. She knew what friendship was, and all of that entailed. But then she also knew what it meant to be overly kind to people, and what _that_ meant. Ruby was somewhere precariously between the two, and this confused Weiss.

Maybe it was the fact that Ruby offered her help seemingly free of charge. Under most cases, Weiss knew people would feel obliged to charge a small fee to put up another person who was not their friend for the night; something not all that dissimilar to a gas fee for carpools between friends. Gas costs money, which would attribute to a group of friends pooling their resources for extended car trips. The use of their lodgings temporarily, as Weiss had understood, was under similar rules.

Or maybe, just maybe, it was the weird comments the girl had made. About her being cute. Or sleeping together. Or about her intentions not being entirely honorable. She had been teasing, as far as Weiss could tell… but still, the words had been spoken and her face still burned with the implications slithering into her subconscious, refusing to leave and give her a moment’s peace.

“Fuck.” She muttered softly, the back of her head hitting the wall.

Seeing no real way out now, or else disappointing the only person to show her a bit of kindness since the semester started, Weiss slipped out of her sweater, peeling off her blouse and jeans, and pulled on Ruby’s loose-fitting bottoms and tank top. The pants were wider around the hips and the short around the chest that Weiss would have liked to admit to – being such a smallish girl, such things were unavoidable – but they were comfortable nonetheless. A quick tug and tie of the cotton straps along the elastic around her waist fixed the issue simply enough. The issue with the shirt could not be fixed, unfortunately.

Stepping in front of the mirror, Weiss examined herself as best she could. Skinny, pale, her face drawn and tired-looking. Her normally bright blue eyes were bloodshot from lack of sleep, and her skin was pallid looking. It was only her shockingly white head of waist-length hair that made her stand out as much as she did.

Sighing, she pulled her scrunchie out of her hair, and shook it loose, ridding herself of the ponytail she normally sported for her everyday life. For classes and studying such a style was fine. But for sleeping, not so much.

After washing her face and doing her best to pull out any knots in her hair with her thin fingers, Weiss eyed the medicine cabinet, and finally opened it, curiosity winning over propriety.

Inside was your typical assortment of makeup supplies, tools and emergency health supplies; bandages, alcohol and swabs. Weiss had much of the same stock in her own bathroom cabinet, but it was the pair of toothbrushes inside that caught her attention.

One red, and other yellow, it was obvious that one belonged to Ruby and the other to her sister, Yang.

Normally, Weiss would have never, ever, thought of doing what she was contemplating. It seemed to… dirty, so… unseemly to use someone else’s toothbrush, something they took personal stock in, and something they, and only they, could use. Like someone’s underwear, sharing a toothbrush with another person always seemed to foreign and unfamiliar to Weiss, she never even thought she would be forced to consider the option.

But, desperate times called for desperate measures, and it seemed as though this night was full of surprising, desperate firsts. She was sexiled from her own dorm room. She had been forced to sleep on the couch outside in the common room. She had been invited to share a room with a friendly, but strange girl. She had been hit on – at least, she assumed – by said girl. She was wearing the girl’s pajamas. And finally, she was going to use her toothbrush.

Under most circumstances, Weiss would have balked at the notion of anything like this happening to her. But it was almost one in the morning, and she was a cranky person even at the best of times. Being tired and locked out of her room called for some improvisation to her routine.

“Ruby?” She called out.

“Yea?” She heard the girl reply. “What’s up? You need some help changing?”

Ignoring the Ruby’s giggling, Weiss cleared her throat. “You said yours and you sister’s things were color-coded. Can you clarify?”

“Oh. Yea! My stuff is all red. Yang’s is yellow. Feel free to use any of my stuff.”

“Thank you.” Weiss replied, her hands shaking even as she reached out to grasp Ruby’s red toothbrush. It was a simple thing, quite different from her own – one of the newer electronic models – but Weiss knew it would do an adequate job.

After all, desperate times called for desperate measures.

0 – 0 – 0

After Weiss had finished up in the bathroom, she stepped out to find Ruby also in her pajamas. Weiss blinked, caught off guard at how thin the girl was now that she wore a matching black tank top to Weiss’, and a pair of red cotton shorts. Weiss felt her eyes trail along the girl’s pale legs, and up to her skinny arms, to her fingers tapping away at her cellphone.

As her entrance, Ruby looked up and smiled. “Hey, stranger! Took you long enough.” She stood from the bed – her sister’s bed, Weiss noticed – and considered the white-haired girl. “Nice. Looks good on you.”

“It’s a little big.” Weiss murmured, tugging at her pants self-consciously.

Ruby gasped, her hand raising to her chest. “Are you saying I’m _fat_?”

“W-what? No!” Weiss stammered. “You’re not fat… you… look good. I’m just skinny.”

“I like skinny.” Ruby shot back with another wide grin. Weiss swallowed, averting her eyes.

“W-whatever.” She muttered, stepping towards Yang’s bed.

“No! No, I told you that you are taking my bed tonight, and I am sticking by that!” Ruby said quickly, raising her phone in her fist and shaking it threateningly towards Weiss. “Mine is much more comfortable and therefore better for guests to enjoy.”

“Fine!’ Weiss hissed, stamping her foot in frustration. “If I use your bed, will to drop the subject?”

“Sure.” The other replied, nodding decidedly. Weiss stifled what she could of her embarrassment at being corralled around the room back towards Ruby’s bed by her host, and even managed to keep her blush from her cheeks as the girl herself pulled back the covers, arranging the stuffed animals just so. “There! Perfect. Most comfortable bed on campus, if I do say so myself.”

“Don’t flatter yourself.” Weiss sneered, but snapped her mouth shut just as quickly, not truly wanting to make the other girl feel bad. She was helping her, no matter her strange, almost flirty attitude towards her, and such kindness was due respect. Weiss was raised better than that, after all. “But thank you, all the same.”

Grinning again, Ruby shrugged and meandered back to the other bed, dropping into it with a grunt. “No problem whatsoever.”

As Weiss settled into the girl’s bed, she grudgingly realized the fact that this _was_ perhaps the most comfortable bed she had ever been in. The sheets were soft, the mattress was firm and solid, and the single pillow she used was cool to the touch – likely one of those new form-fitting ones that molded to a person’s head as they slept.

And, worse yet, the entire bed smelled like Ruby.

“This bed is really comfortable.” She muttered quietly, angrily. She hated when other people were proven right.

From across the room, Ruby giggled. “Told you so. I spend a lot of time sleeping, so I figured ‘Why not make my bed a nice place to be in?’”

“Then why aren’t you sleeping in your own bed?” Weiss asked before she could stop herself.

“Again, you come back to the bed thing.” Ruby sighed. “I told you before, you’re my guest, and it’s up to me to make you feel as comfortable as possible. I’m perfectly happy with letting you have my bed.” She paused, and Weiss could _feel_ the suddenly playful grin that was most likely creeping across the other girl’s face. “Unless you are really desperate to share?”

“No.” Weiss’ answer was short, succinct.

“Shame.” Ruby sighed heavily, and Weiss heard her shift in the other bed – probably turning over. “Maybe next time.” She said, her yawn breaking through her tone.

“Assuming there will be a next time.” Weiss couldn’t help but say, and immediately felt bad. Why, _why_ , did she always have to say the wrong thing? Ruby had been nothing but nice since finding her downstairs. Nice, but weird, and what had Weiss been in return? Rude, mean and barely thankful. Damn it, she knew she was better than this! How was she ever going to make any friends if she was so fucking cold all the time?

“Well, the next time you get sexiled from your room, you know where to come for a clean pair of PJs and a comfy bed. Like I said, you’re welcome here anytime.” Ruby said, and the next thing Weiss knew, the light was turned off, and the room was bathed in darkness.

The moment the light left the room, Weiss felt every inch of her tiredness finally take its toll on her. The long day of classes and studying, the irritation and frustration of being forced out of her room for the night, and the embodiment of cheerfulness that was Ruby Rose, who had stumbled along and dragged through a whirlwind of confusion and spiking hormones.

It had all been far too much for one girl in one day, and the last thing Weiss knew before sleep took her was the fact that she was surrounded by the smell of roses.

0 – 0 – 0

**End of Part 1**

 


	2. Chapter 2

 

0 – 0 – 0

**Out of the Cold**

**Part 2**

0 – 0 – 0

Nothing ever came from that night Weiss stayed in Ruby’s dorm room.

Ruby had been fun, polite and a good host – even if Weiss got the distinct impression the brunette had been hitting on her the entire time. And of course she was grateful to the cheerful girl for putting up with her for the night, regardless of the fact that Weiss was prickly even at the best of times, much more so when she was tired and had a test to study for. And yes, in the morning Ruby had _insisted_ on swapping phone numbers and Facebook names.

But Weiss had never really been one to initiate conversations with people, simply preferring others to approach her and talk. She was well aware that was perhaps not the best way to make friends, especially when all she replied with was generally cool looks and waspish retorts. But it was who she was, and she couldn’t change that. And the fact that Ruby never really contacted her afterwards only cemented the idea in her head that Weiss was unapproachable.

After all, why would Ruby want to be friends with her? She was just a mean, random girl that happened to be sexiled by her roommate for a night, and Ruby was just doing her Good Samaritan duty in helping her out with a place to sleep. It stung a little – well, a lot, truth be told – that Ruby never contacted or even texted her after… but Weiss was a big girl and could take a hint.

And as they say, big girls don’t cry. She would eventually get over it.

For a while nothing bad happened to screw up Weiss’ routine. Blake apologized for her behavior later, saying that it was ‘the heat of the moment’, and in the future they would either give a days’ notice, or find somewhere else to… do whatever it is her and Yang did together. Weiss accepted the apology with grace and even got to meet Ruby’s prodigal older sister out of it.

As time went on and clubs got into full swing, Weiss joined a music club and made a few acquaintances, if not people she could call friends. They were _‘friendly’_ with each other, if that counted. But it was Weiss’ personality that made things difficult to progress any further. Whatever, she was used to it, and accepted it in stride, as did her fellow club members. Things were cordial, if not pleasant, and that was fine. She even joined a study group that regularly got together to catch up on the heavy workload, and that was much more acceptable to the schoolwork-focused student, which she was.

The semester dragged on, and Weiss was content.

The next time she met with Ruby was, oddly enough, during finals week.

Finding a quiet place to study, even on normal, test-free weeks, was difficult. Vale University for the Arts was a popular school, which meant even obscure places like the far reaches of the darkest classrooms were crammed with students vying for the best place to study. The library was no exception, which was why when Weiss was lucky enough to find a small table in the far corner of the second floor of the library unoccupied, she snatched it up as quickly as she could, settling down for what was to be the longest study session of her career as a student thus far.

That was fine. She had her books, her laptop, a plastic bag filled with snacks and water for when she got hungry. She was ready for the long haul, and was prepared to stay as long as necessary to study for her exams.

The shadow that suddenly loomed over her table late into the evening hours of her music history work was unappreciated, and most unwelcome.

“This table is taken.” She said shortly, not even bothering to look up as she filled in the margins of her notebook with dates and names of famous musicians.

“Ouch. That was cold. And here I thought you’d be happy to see me, since it’s been so long since we saw each other.” Said a familiar voice from above her. It was the familiarity mixed with cheerfulness that caused Weiss to look up from her notes and gape.

Ruby Rose, wearing the same dark hooded sweatshirt and jeans Weiss remembered her first wearing the night they met, stood there, her backpack slung over her shoulder, and her lips stretched into a familiar grin. The tips of her hair was still dyed a bright red, and her silver eyes were crinkled slightly as she smiled. She looked a little tired, and bedraggled – likely from the building pressure of finals week that was surely affecting everyone – but over looked as chipper as ever.

As Weiss stared, she felt her mouth dry up and her stomach compress, causing a whole bundle of emotions to expand and spread in her chest; but for the life of her she couldn’t think of anything to say to this girl that suddenly appeared.

“Hiya!” Ruby greeted happily instead, her hand raising in a jaunty wave. “You mind if I pop a squat? This place is packed.” Her silver eyes surveyed the table, taking note of the assortment of books and notebooks spread out everywhere. “I only have my laptop, so I won’t take up too much space. Promise.”

Nodding slowly, Weiss opened her mouth to respond, but no sounds came out. She swallowed heavily, and then tried again, “Um… sure, go ahead.”

“Gracias, mi amigo!” The girl chirped, slipping off her backpack and pulling out her laptop. Weiss silently provided a space for her and Ruby took a moment to start up the device. “Man, I can’t get over how busy it is around here.”

“Vale University is popular.” Weiss said simply. She knew from experience that Ruby could talk at great length if she wanted, and it wouldn’t be good to get caught up in conversation when she had studying to do. Such things were dangerous, and Weiss was determined to stay out of danger.

“Yea, I guess.” Ruby said, nodding even as she flicked her finger along her laptop’s trackpad. “I mean, most people here are studying music and dance and stuff, and that kind of stuff is popular. I just didn’t think it was _that_ popular.” She shrugged. “Anyway, what’s with all the people wanting to study in the library and stuff? You could just as easily get work done in your dorm room, or the café across the street or wherever.”

“Then why are you here?” Weiss asked flatly, her eyes flicking up to glance at the other girl.

She shrugged again. “Eh. I wanted to give the whole ‘you’re in college now, better go to the library and study!’ thing a try.”

“And how’s that working out for you?”

A familiar, mischievous grin creeped across Ruby’s face as she returned Weiss’s stare. “I found you, didn’t I?”

Again, Weiss was caught off guard by how forward the girl was. It seemed as though every time she seemed to figure the dark-haired girl out, she would open her mouth and something completely… _flirty_ … would come out, completely derailing Weiss’ composure in the most efficient way. It was strange, and she wasn’t sure she liked it.

Crossing her arms and narrowing her eyes at Ruby, Weiss frowned deeply, not deeming to say anything.

Still sporting her grin, Ruby leaned forward, looking around them as if to check for eavesdroppers. Her conspiratorial certainly didn’t help ease Weiss’ sudden feeling of anxiousness that seemed to claw through her body like a parasite.

“Hey… you want to get out of here?” Ruby asked – _whispered_ – quietly, her large eyes watching Weiss unblinkingly.

Finally able to break from her self-serving silence, Weiss shook her head. “No. I’m studying.”

“I know. That’s what I’m saying. We can totally bounce and hit up this other place I know to study. It’s quiet, out of the way, and I promise no one will be there. It’s perfect.”

Weiss highly doubted that. It was almost ten at night, and still the campus was abuzz with practically every student currently enrolled, all scrambling to get their work done in time for finals.

But still, Ruby had no real reason to lie to her.

“If this place is so ‘perfect’ as you say, why are you telling me about it? And why aren’t you there now?”

Again she shrugged and gestured with her hand to the people milling around them. “Well, you look like you could use a better place than this to study. It’s too distracting.” Still leaning forward, she smiled brightly at Weiss. “Also, I want to share it with you.”

There is was again. The strange, fluttering feeling that Weiss felt whenever Ruby acted that way, or said something strange to her. It wasn’t _bad_ , per se, just… weird, and new. She was tempted to accept the invitation, she really was, if only for a quiet place to study. But then she remembered how Ruby had been nice and generous, only to never contact her again after that night, seemingly forgetting Weiss even existed until just now, at this moment at the end of the semester.

Apparently, Ruby was the kind of girl that help out other people on a whim, only to up and move on the next day. She was flaky, flighty, and her disarming smile and _flirting_ only make her more confusing… at least, to someone like Weiss.

Or, perhaps much more likely, it had been Weiss’ fault, with her prickliness and unapproachable personality. She had fewer people that she could call friends that she could count on one hand, and that had taken her the entire semester. Ruby was just another one of the many girls that had tried to reach out her hand in friendship early on, only to learn what a bitch Weiss could be and backed off before disappointment set it.

Yes, that was much more likely.

But then, if that _was_ the case, why was she here now, offering to share something like a secret place to study in?

The girl was one giant ball of contradictions; an enigma that Weiss couldn’t solve. And that frustrated her as much as it did make her squirm anxiously in her seat.

“Well, how about it?” Ruby pressed, her lips quirking up into her typical grin. “You in, or out?”

Slowly and heavily Weiss sighed, closing her notebook and setting her mechanical pencil down. “Do you have any idea how hard it was to get a table here?”

“Had to kill a guy for it, didn’t you?” Ruby guessed, her eyes twinkling with mirth.

“I killed three.” Weiss confirmed, deadpan. “This had better be worth it, or I will add a forth to my total.”

Ruby’s laugh, bright and charming, almost made the idea of losing out on their table worth it. Almost.

“Trust me Weiss, you’ll absolutely love it.

0 – 0 – 0

Surprisingly, Ruby ended up taking Weiss to the theater located on campus. It was a large building; a house with seating to fit eight hundred people, and a modular stage to accommodate anything from orchestras, musicals and plays, all the way down to one-man shows. Weiss had been in the theater a few times, being a Music Theory major, and even had some classes take place in it, but she hadn’t really spent enough time in it to know any anywhere good to study in the large, open building.

“Are we even allowed to be here?” Weiss asked as Ruby led her along the outside of the theater, skirting the walls as they rounded the far corner towards the rear entrance.

“Sure, why not?” came Ruby’s reply.

“Well, it’s late. There are no or classes this week, so the place is locked and shut down.” Weiss said, suddenly stopping as Ruby whirled around and produced a set of keys, jingling them merrily in her hand. The implication was obvious, and Weiss felt her jaw drop in shock. “H-how did you get those?”

Her grin widening, Ruby turned back and approached the loading dock, hopping up on the upper level with a grunt and tucking her feet underneath her so she could stand again. Weiss simply sighed, taking the stairs along the side of the dock.

“Eh, I got them from the Tech Director.” Ruby explained, flicking through the keys in her hands until she found the correct one. Once she did, she slid it into the lock and unlocked the back door. “I’m a techie here, so he and I are pretty tight.”

“Enough to give you a set of keys, apparently.” Weiss muttered, rolling her eyes. “Are you sure you didn’t steal them?”

“No! I’m really a techie! I spend most of my time out of the dorm in here. Come on.” She opened the door, and ushered Weiss inside.

Unsurprisingly the entire place was dark, except for the soft glow of the Ghost Light coming through the cavernous entrance from the back of the stage. The shop, where the pair had entered from, was quiet and smelled like sawdust and paint, typical considering its use in creating set pieces and stage props. The stage on the far side of the shop was just as Weiss remembered seeing it, empty for a lack of productions at the moment, and unlikely to be filled until the next semester.

Weiss shivered slightly, not because of the cold, but because of the sheer emptiness and quiet that assaulted her as she stood there in the near-darkness of the theater. It was weird, being there alone at night, and she closed her eyes to take in the feeling of peace.

The sudden, almost jarring sound of Ruby’s shoes echoing on the concrete floor was enough to jerk Weiss’ attention back to the girl, who had just locked the door behind them.

“Always gotta keep that door shut, just in case.” The girl explained, and then cleared her throat. “Well, shall we?”

“Where are we going?” Weiss asked, listening as her voice echoed slightly back at her from around the shop and stage. The sound of their steps joined in with her voice, only adding to the feeling of solitude permeating her body. She was really alone with Ruby here, in the theater. This was bad, if not worse than being alone in her room with her.

“To my secret place.” Ruby replied, jingling her keys again. “You, uh, aren’t afraid of heights, are you?”

Weiss faltered in her steps, blinking towards Ruby’s shadowed face. “Um… not… really. Why?”

Snickering slightly, Ruby pointed up towards the ceiling. “Well, we’re kinda going up in the catwalk.”

“W-what?” Weiss stammered, her heart suddenly dropping into her stomach. She wasn’t afraid of heights, but that didn’t make her stupid. While she had never been up into the fabled catwalks of a theater, she knew the basics of what was up there. Dark, cold and treacherously narrow pathways. Ropes leading down to the stage, and lights hanging precariously from the rafters.

And all of that was hundreds of feet up in the air.

Again, she wasn’t afraid of heights… but she wasn’t stupid either.

There were probably spiders up there, too.

And fuck spiders. Because, seriously.

“Don’t worry!” Ruby said cheerfully, skipping ahead and spinning around on her heel. “I practically _live_ up there whenever I am here. It’s totally safe – it’s ace, I swear.”

Frowning and crossing her arms over her chest, Weiss narrowed her eyes. “You’re sure?”

“Completely.” Ruby said, and Weiss could even see the girl blink her silver eyes in the near darkness. “Hell, I even slept up there a few times. It’s like my second apartment.”

Despite herself, Weiss snorted. “Why does that not surprise me?”

It took some coaxing, but Ruby finally convinced Weiss to climb the stairway – long and narrow, as predicted – towards the catwalks and unlocked the door with her familiar grin. It was dark in the catwalks, and the flashlight that the dark-haired girl pulled from her backpack didn’t help nearly as well as Weiss would have liked it to. Nevertheless, Ruby navigated the dark and winding and narrow pathways with the precision of long practice, holding her light out behind her for Weiss to use as she marched along behind.

Eventually, after passing rows and rows of lights, weights tied onto poles and pulleys and hung up curtains, the pair arrived at a very surprising sight. The once-narrow and rickety catwalks opened up into a wider, fully carpeted area, easily as large as her dorm room. There was what Weiss recognized as a spotlight attached to a wheeled mechanism off to the side, a small console with an assortment of buttons and switches, as well as, perhaps most surprisingly, a bundle of blankets and pillows tucked away into the corner, covered with a clear plastic sheet.

The entire area was surrounded by sturdy-looking metal fencing, and as Weiss stepped onto the platform and it didn’t wobble with her weight, she felt instantly better. At least she was unlikely to plummet to her doom up here.

“And here we are.” Ruby said, walking past Weiss towards the console in the corner. She mumbled something to herself and flipped a switch, and immediately the soft glow of a light came to life above them. “My home-away-from-home.”

“So I see.” Weiss observed, nodding to the complicated-looking console she had so effortlessly used to turn on the light. “You certainly seem to know what you are doing.”

The girl grinned. “Like I said, I’m a techie. I practically live up here, and the Technical Director lets me come and go whenever I want to.” She slipped her backpack off her shoulder and walked over to the middle of the carpet, sitting down with a grunt. “So, we got a nice, quiet place to study, and I promise you that you can stay as long as you want, and no one will bother you. What do you think?”

“It _is_ nice.” Weiss muttered, also slipping her bag off and eyeing the carpet skeptically.

Giggling, Ruby shook her head. “Don’t worry. I clean the place every week; vacuum and dust and everything. Like I said, I spend a lot of time here, and it would kind of really suck if my allergies killed me because of it.”

“Right…” Weiss nodded slowly, taking her things from her bag and spreading them out neatly. “So… your part of the stage crew, then?”

“Yup!” Ruby chirped. “Always kind of been a nerd, and when I was a kid I was introduced to this and kinda got a taste for it.”

“Is that your major, then?”

Laughing softly, Ruby shook her head. “Nah, I couldn’t actually study Theater Arts. I would get bored of it then, I think. I’m more into the Liberal Studies side of things. What about you?”

Weiss pursed her lips, wondering why someone who was studying Liberal Arts chose to go to a University whose focus was on the Arts. Regardless, there she was, and it was her own choice. “I am a Music Theory major.”

Ruby hissed between her teeth. “Yowza. That’s a tough workload. I have a friend also doing that. She’s taking most of her pre-reqs early, though, so there’s that.”

“Mmm.” Weiss nodded, flicking open her notebook and trying to find the place she left off on in the library. “It your sister still gone often?”

“Oh! Well, yea, kind of. I mean, she’s around, but like I told you before, she has her own things to do and her own friends.” She suddenly grinned, scooting a little closer to Weiss. “Why? You wanna stay over again?”

“N-no!” Weiss stuttered loudly. “I was just curious.”

Nodding, Ruby hummed curiously. “Well, yea, like I said, she’s gone a lot. But that’s cool – it just means I pretty much have a double for a single’s price, and that makes it nice if I want to invite my friends over to play games and stuff.”

“Sounds like you have had a fun first semester.” Weiss said simply, feeling a twinge of jealously at the girl’s words. It must have been nice, she assumed, to be so fun and approachable – to have so many friends you had to have enough room in your dorm room to accommodate them all.

“Yea! It’s been great!” Ruby agreed cheerfully. “How about you? Have you made any friends? Join any clubs? Party the night away?”

Weiss nodded simply. “Yes, I have made friends. Yes, I have joined a club. And no, I do not ‘party the night away’. I came here to study, not to waste time.”

“Ah. That makes sense.” Ruby said, her grin widening in a way that Weiss wasn’t sure she liked. “In that case I bet you haven’t hooked up with anyone yet, have you?”

“What? No!” Weiss chocked out, her hands rising as if to ward off embarrassment. “What the fuck? What makes you think I’m like that?”

Ruby shrugged. “I’m just saying you cute enough to, so I wouldn’t be surprised if you had.”

Weiss felt her eyebrows furrow into a single, crooked line. “As I said, I came here to study, not to play. Is that all you do? Flirt with people and play around?”

“I only flirt with the people I really like.” The other girl said, smiling crookedly.

Feeling her lip curl tightly under her nose, Weiss looked away, clenching her fingers to distract her from the weird sensation crawling through her belly. “W-whatever.” She finally muttered. “Can we please study now?”

Laughing, Ruby nodded and settled down in front of her laptop, flicking her eyes to Weiss as she did so.

“Sure, sure. No problem at all. The Wifi password is ‘TechiesRTops’.”

0 – 0 – 0

Despite Ruby’s consistently flighty and easygoing personality, Weiss was pleased to note that once the girl actually started to study, she did just that. Seconds turned into minutes, and minutes turned into hours as the pair prepared for their exams, clicking away on their computers or flipping pages in their books, making notes and asking the occasional question when relevant.

By the time Weiss checked her phone and noticed it was nearing two in the morning. She was tired, but pleased she had accomplished as much as she did. She still had a full two exams to study for, but at least she was making progress.

Turning her attention towards her study buddy, Weiss considered the girl in front of her; laying down sideways, propped up on a pillow as her large silver eyes scanned her computer screen, reading whatever article she had chosen for her final exam. She had been quiet, surprisingly studious once she got going and completely unobtrusive to Weiss. It was pleasant, and a vast difference from her initial impression of the brunette. But, then again, she _was_ as student at Vale University. It was a very good school, so in retrospect, Weiss shouldn’t have been too surprised that Ruby was a keen student.

But she was still weird.

After all, there were still the strange comments she had made to Weiss earlier; about being cute, and hooking up with someone. Who brings up that kind of topic with somewhere you barely know? Weiss didn’t really have experience in that area. She _knew_ about it, naturally, as any self-respecting young adult did, but that was all.

On the other hand, it was easy to imagine Ruby populating the other end of the spectrum. What with her friendly demeanor and charming laugh, she probably got invited to parties and asked out a lot. It was all-too likely to assume that she would hang out with other people, dance with them at a party, and make out with them… even—

_Shit!_ What the fuck was Weiss thinking about! Was her mind so easy to fall in the gutter when she was tired?

Rubbing at her face with her hands to try and work the sleepiness out of her, she tried to pull her mind from any more weird thoughts about the girl sitting next to her and refocus on her work.

Unfortunately, her action only served to draw attention to her, and Ruby sat up straight.

“Getting tired?” She asked.

“Kind of.” Weiss supplied. “There’s still so much to go through… and I have two more exams to prepare for.”

“Ugh. That sucks. When are they?”

“Two days from now.”

At that, Ruby’s mouth popped open. “Damn, really? On the same day? Jeez… what classes?”

“Music History and Econ.”

“Urg. Core class and a Major one. You definitely got your work cut out for you.”

“Thanks.” Weiss deadpanned.

“No problem.” Ruby threw back, her tone equally flat. “Anyway, you wanna take a break? We’ve been at this for, like, three hours now.”

Sighing heavily, but also knowing that a short break might do her good, Weiss nodded, closing her laptop. “Yea. Sure, why not?” She leaned back and relaxed on the small pile of pillows Ruby had dug out of her bundle of blankets for her to use. “What do you want to do?”

“I dunno. We can chill and watch something on the computer. I have Hulu. Did you know they have Dexter’s Laboratory and Rugrats?” Weiss watched as the girl shuffled over with her small pile of pillows, tossing them over to join Weiss’, and laid back next to her. Weiss stiffened slightly as she felt the fabric of Ruby’s hoodie brush against her arm, but forced herself not to move away. “Or we can just do whatever. I’m open. What do you normally do on a break?”

Weiss thought about that. “I go and take a walk. Or talk with my friends, or just browse the internet on my phone.”

“All very good ideas.” Ruby agreed. “Well, we _can_ take a walk. But I don’t think you really liked the catwalks that much.”

“Not particularly.”

Snickering, Ruby nodded. “Thought so. Well, talking to your friends is also good. We can talk; I’m your friend, right?”

Blinking, Weiss tilted her head to peer at the other girl. “We barely even know each other, Ruby. I slept in your room one time, months ago, and we never even talked since then.” She let her words die, but the implication was obvious. _She never even sent Weiss a text or anything after._

Undeterred, Ruby shrugged. “That sounds like a good enough reason to be friends to me.”

Weiss frowned, sitting up. Ruby was nice, if a bit flaky, but there was no way she was going to charm her way out of this. Being ignored and forgotten about hurt – badly – and all the pent up frustration she felt after than night came out in a quiet snarl, “Well, not to me, Ruby. Friends keep in contact with each other. Friends actually say ‘Hi’ to one another as they pass on the way to class. I don’t know, maybe that is not the case for you. But for me, it is. So, to answer your question: _No_ , You aren’t my friend.”

For the first time Weiss could recall, Ruby looked surprised into speechlessness. Her large eyes blinked rapidly, her lips forming soundless words as if she couldn’t think of what to say. Weiss looked away, crossing her arms over her chest and taking a deep breath.

Damn it… why did she always say the wrong fucking thing?

After a long minute, Ruby cleared her throat. “Uh… wow. I’m… I’m sorry, Weiss. But I really would like to be friends with you.”

Unable to stop herself, Weiss scoffed. “If you really felt that way, you would not have ignored me all this time. You never texted me or anything! That really hurt! Did you even stop to think about how I would feel? Apparently not, as you have been having such a _fun_ time this semester, going to parties and hooking up with people! Sounds like you have been perfectly fine without having me as a friend!”

Ruby’s eyes widened at Weiss’ tone, and she held up her hands defensively. “Whoa, whoa, okay. I get it. I’m sorry.” She sighed and pulled her legs up to her chest, wrapping her arms around them. “I just… got a little distracted with being in college for the first time. You know I graduated high school a year early?”

“No.” Weiss said shortly. She hadn’t known that, because Ruby never talked to her again.

Nodding, Ruby continued. “Yea, well, I’m eighteen. So I guess it was all a bit much for me. I mean, I can study well and get good grades, but the social aspect of college life was kind of a kick in the teeth. I got carried away, and I’m sorry. And… well… it wasn’t exactly like you were particularly enthusiastic when you crashed at my place. I just figured it would have been better to let you text me, rather than bug you into talking to someone when you really didn’t want to.”

Weiss frowned again, not really sure whether or not to believe Ruby’s words. It sounded plausible, but wasn’t quite willing to give in yet.

“But I really meant what I said before. I want to be friends, and I like hanging out with you. You’re nice.”

Weiss scoffed loudly. “I happen to disagree with you on that.”

“No, really! I mean, sure, your kind of hard to get to know and you are rude and sometimes…” She trailed off at Weiss’ blank stare, and then grinned weakly. ”But I think that’s just who you are. Straightforward and honest. And… well… I like that in a friend. I’m just… sorry about not contacting you. I should have known better.”

“It’s fine.” Weiss then said, pursing her lips. She settled back into the pile of pillows and sighed, then froze. The way she lay down put her shoulder and arm directly beside Ruby’s, so that they were touching. The simple contact made Weiss’ cheeks flush with heat, and it took all of her willpower to turn her face away, because _holy fuck_ they were basically touching, and Weiss didn’t know what that meant, if anything at all.

Friends touched, right?

_Right?_

“Really?” Ruby asked softly.

The heat prickling at Weiss’ cheeks and ears still hadn’t died down, but she nodded regardless. “Y-yea.”

“Alright… if you’re sure.” The girl said, her tone hesitant. She was – perhaps rightly so – skeptical of Weiss’ acceptance of her apology. “Well, hey! There’s still some time left in the semester. We could totally hang out before then! It’ll be a great way to get to know each other.”

“Yea. Sure.” Weiss agreed, trying her best to rid her face of the uncomfortable prickling heat lingering there.

“Are you alright?”

“Fine. No problem.” Weiss mumbled, and then swallowed. “Look, it’s been a long break. Can we please get back to studying?”

Ruby leaned over into Weiss’ view, searching her face. Weiss stared back, unsure of whether to blink to simply look away. Eventually, the other girl must have found something amusing in Weiss’ expression, because before she could even blink, that familiar, shit-eating grin stretched across her lips again.

“Ah… okay. Studying. Cool. I could definitely do that. No problem.”

“What.” Weiss deadpanned, blinking rapidly at the girl’s sudden change in behavior. Something in the look she had in her eyes made Weiss uncomfortable, and she didn’t quite know what to think. “What is it?”

Ruby hummed to herself as she opened her laptop, but for some reason, wasn’t moving back to her previous stop across from Weiss on the carpet. Instead, she stayed planted next to her along the pillows. “What? What’s what? We’re studying, right?”

Weiss’ eyes narrowed dangerously. “Stop that.”

“Stop what?”

“That smile. I don’t like that smile you have right now. It’s weird.”

“What do you mean weird? This is my normal smile.” To prove her point, Ruby flashed her teeth at Weiss.

“That’s not that same smile. This smile is this fucking cocky grin you have on now. I don’t like it.”

“Really?” Ruby giggled. “Imagine that. I had no idea I was smiling strangely. Maybe it’s just because I’m spending time with you?”

“You’re flirting with me.” Weiss accused bluntly. She turned back to her notes, trying her hardest to concentrate on anything besides the girl next to her, or her arm brushing up against her own. “Stop it.”

“I have no idea what you mean, Weiss.”

“You talk too much.”

Ruby hummed again. “Ah, so you prefer action more than words, huh?”

Weiss growled audibly, her patience wearing dangerously thin. She didn’t know what Ruby was trying to accomplish by acting this way. Did she not _realize_ the way she affected Weiss? Did she not care? She was being frustratingly hard to read, as opposed to her usual flippant attitude, and Weiss didn’t know what to make of it.

She had studying to do, and so far no progress whatsoever had been made in the past fifteen minutes.

“Look, I don’t understand what you are trying to do. Can you please just let me study? You’re really distracting.”

“Oh! I’m _distracting,_ am I?” Ruby’s voice was so sweet it made Weiss’ teeth ache, and as she looked up to lock her blue eyes with silver, Weiss realized that Ruby knew exactly what she was doing – and how she affected Weiss.

“Um.” She murmured softly, the realization changing everything inside her, shifting her body around to make something new, something strange. It was a warm, heady feeling that started from her belly, fluttering around like some strange creature, and split into many to crawl its’ way to every different part of her body, from every single strand of silvery hair to the tips of her toes.

Weiss swallowed heavily against a suddenly dry throat. “Y-you… well, yes. You are.”

“How so?” Ruby pressed, her eyes never leaving Weiss’.

“Um… you just keep talking. You never stop. And you keep… doing things.” Weiss swallowed again. “And I can’t study this way.”

“Got it.” Ruby said, nodding to herself. “In that case, here’s an idea…” She suddenly leaned in close, her face so near to Weiss’ that she stiffened.

 “Uh.” Weiss murmured, the sound barely managing to escape.

“How about we forget about studying?” Ruby said, and then in one single, galvanizing second, the world tilted on its axis as she leaned in and pressed her lips against Weiss’ in the barest, simplest of kisses.

All thoughts of studying were effectively wiped from Weiss’ mind after that.

0 – 0 – 0

Because Weiss had refused – as in, resolutely – to stay in the rafters of the theater after any further attempts at studying had effectively been thrown out of the window, the pair of girls had quickly gathered their things together, hurriedly left the theater, the entire trip seemingly happening in a blur, and made it back to Ruby’s dorm room.

Weiss nervously glanced around the room, slipping her messenger bag from her shoulder and taking note of any changes to the interior. “You sister isn’t in, right?”

“Nah.” Ruby answered, moving around the room to hang up her own bag on a shelf. “She’s out with Blake. They found a new place to do whatever it is they do together – no idea where.”

Weiss nodded, feeling a little better about not being interrupted by a possibly overprotective older sister.

Who liked to box.

“What, um, what does this mean?”

Ruby blinked, turning back towards Weiss. “Huh?”

Pursing her lips, Weiss tried to cross her arms over her chest, but only made it as far as to hold herself around her middle. She was nervous, of course, but not because the idea of sex made her scared. She was mainly nervous because it was _Ruby_ she was with. Ruby Rose, the girl who had never contacted her again when Weiss secretly hoped she would. Ruby Rose, the fun, overly friendly girl that had lots of friends… possibly lots of boyfriends. Girlfriends?

“I just… I don’t know. What if this is like last time?”

Ruby blinked again, her smile turning rueful. “Nothing happened last time.”

Weiss’ eyes narrowed. “Don’t be cute. You know what I mean.”

“Sorry.” Ruby apologized, walking over towards Weiss. She sighed softly, lifting her hands and placed them on Weiss’ shoulders. She took the weight well enough, and looked up as Ruby flicked her silver eyes from her right eye to the left, and then back again. “Look, we don’t have to do anything that you don’t want to. I’m cool with that.”

“No. You don’t get it.” Weiss shook her head. “I just… look – is this just a one night thing? Like last time? I want to know. That’s what I am afraid of. You’re really… really nice. I know what. But… I’m scared. You’re—“ Weiss paused, searching for the right words. “You’re so outgoing, and have so many friends, unlike me. I don’t really have anybody to hang out with and talk to me when things go sideways. And last time you never called me or texted. What if I wake up tomorrow and the same thing happens, only this time I never see you again? All there would be was this one night, and that’s it, you know?”

Weiss wasn’t entirely sure she was making any sense. It was two-thirty in the morning, but her anxiousness and excitement, the pounding in her heart, would not let her go to sleep until some sort of resolution was made.

Ruby was silent for a long time, her hands never leaving their place on Weiss’ shoulders, and each tick of the wall clock that sounded was another crack along Weiss’ heart, making her more and more fragile, exposed. Eventually, she couldn’t even bring herself to face the brunette anymore, and she turned away, biting her lip.

Really, it made sense to Weiss that Ruby only wanted a one night stand. That’s just the kind of girl Weiss assumed she was. She was so carefree and flighty, she had so many friends, went to parties and _did stuff_. There was absolutely no reason at all she would want this to go any further than a single night with Weiss.

God, she was so fucking stupid.

“Look…” Ruby finally murmured. “I can understand why you are afraid of that. But I can promise you that will not happen this time. I made a mistake before, and I know that. I learned from that, and I want to prove to you that it’s different now.” Weiss turned slightly back towards Ruby, examining her serious expression. It was so unlike her usual cheerful expression it was slightly jarring. “To tell you the truth, I actually liked you from the first day in the dorms. You remember, that introduction meeting with all the tenants?” She giggled softly. “You were very abrupt, and to the point. It was really cute.”

Weiss smiled. “I have been called many things. Cute was rarely among them.”

Ruby grinned widely, and walked away from Weiss, moving over to sit down on her bed. It sank slightly under her weight, jostling some of the stuffed toys scattered across it. “Anyway, like I said, we don’t have to do anything. If you don’t want to… that’s fine. I totally understand. I don’t really want to go faster than you’re comfortable with or anything. We can take it slow. Keep things casual, if you want.”

Weiss pursed her lips and took a deep, calming breath. Did she really want to do this? If she were completely honest with herself, she did. She really did. Curiosity the largest driving force behind her thoughts, as well sheer desire. Every time Ruby smiled at her, looked in her direction with those wide, silver eyes, and every time the weird sensations trickled through her body when she thought about the girl across from her. Every single one of those things pointed in one direction, and even Weiss was not ignorant enough to ignore what that meant.

But, could she trust Ruby? Her words seemed genuine, spoken from the heart. Even now, though, Weiss wasn’t entirely sure.

But at the same time, what was life but a long string of connections with people, of risks and rewards, each adding onto your journey from start to finish. And Weiss’ life had little risk or connections until this point. Maybe it was time to change that.

Finally making her decision, Weiss exhaled and walked over to Ruby, reaching up to place her hands on the girl’s shoulders. “No. I want to.”

And before Ruby could even reply with one of her weird comments or teasing flirts Weiss just fucking _knew_ she had hidden away for just this occasion, she leaned forward and pressed her lips against Ruby’s.

The girl quickly responded, humming as she tilted her head back, her lips shifting to accept Weiss as she moved her hands to place them around her waist. Weiss shivered slightly at the contact, her mind traitorously wondering if Ruby’s hands would feel any different – or better – on her bare skin than just her clothing.

Spurred on by this thought, Weiss suddenly growled and pushed Ruby’s shoulders, earning a squeak from the girl as their lips parted, and fell back on her bed. Weiss wasted no time in following, climbing up and on top of her, her lips moving to brush over Ruby’s cheek, down to her jaw and then the column of her throat.

“Wow. You’re really into this, aren’t you?” Ruby giggled, shifting underneath her.

“Yes. So what?” Weiss muttered, finding a place to set her lips at the hollow of Ruby’s throat and sucked. The girl gasped under her, arching her back as her hands tightly clasping her waist.

“N-nothing wrong with that.” Ruby half-stuttered, half-breathed out.

It was fitting in some kind of inverted, perverse way, Weiss thought as she kissed, sucked and nipped at Ruby’s neck, that the usually talkative girl was struggling for words at Weiss’ actions instead of the other way around. She would have to try and remember the best way to get Ruby to stop talking in the future, if it ever came down to it.

Ruby fidgeted under her again, and Weiss smirked as she slipped her hands underneath the girl’s hoodie that she always seemed to be wearing around campus, pulling it up over her head. Now free of the sweatshirt, Weiss ran her hands along Ruby’s bare arms, reveling in the feeling of her warm skin against hers.

She wanted more.

Ruby suddenly struggled underneath her, and Weiss growled again in frustration, leaning back at the girl’s hand against her chest. “What?” She snapped.

“Hold up.” Ruby murmured, pushing her torso up off the bed and pressing her lips against Weiss’ quickly. “You gotta let me do stuff too, you know?” She giggled, reaching down and peeling Weiss’ sweater and t-shirt up past her head in one fell swoop.

Weiss shivered, this time at the sudden feeling of exposure – she wore only her jeans and a cream-colored bra – but gasped sharply when she felt Ruby’s hands trail along her bare skin. It was hot, and felt as though every single nerve ending in Weiss’ body stood on end to accept the touch. All her attention switched to focus on the new sensation of Ruby’s hands on her, and the next thing Weiss knew she was on her back, the brunette straddling her waist with her nails trailing random patterns along her stomach and ribs, and finally reaching up towards Weiss’ naked breasts.

Weiss swallowed, her eyes trailing down Ruby’s face to her exposed torso – _when had she taken off her shirt and bra? For that matter when did I lose mine? –_ and lingered on her breasts for a beat. They were larger than her own, obviously, even covered as they were in a dark red bra, and her gaze was broken when Ruby giggled softly, the corners of her mouth quirking up into her usual mischievous grin.

At the first touch of Ruby’s tongue on Weiss’ breast, she couldn’t stop the sharp exhale and the choked “F-fuck!” that spilled from her lips. Ruby giggled, the vibrations from her mouth making the maddening new sensations almost too much to bear, and flicked her tongue out to taste Weiss again.

She screwed her eyes shut, her mouth open as she arched her back to allow Ruby to do as much as she wanted. The feelings assaulting Weiss, the sensations she felt as Ruby molded her lips against her, swirled her tongue around her, and grazed her teeth along her sensitive flesh, it was almost overwhelming and Weiss could barely keep up with it all. She whimpered as Ruby moved, her hand reaching up to take over as she slid her lips from one breast to the other, her fingers pinching and nails flicking to pick up where her lips and tongue had left off.

Weiss mewled in a strange language, one she never even knew she was capable of, and it was all she could do to keep her wits about her as Ruby moved back up and returned to Weiss’ mouth. She moaned as she felt the brunette’s tongue slid out and swipe across her lips, begging for access. Weiss obliged, humming pleasantly as she felt Ruby dip her tongue into her mouth to taste her, but only for a moment, as then she pulled away, dragging the warm, wet muscle down her chin to her neck.

“Oh fuck.” Weiss muttered as her arousal grew in intensity to settle wetly between her thighs. She shakily reached her hands up to grab onto Ruby’s arms for something – anything – to hold onto. “Fuck.”

“You swear a lot.” Ruby observed, laughter coloring her tone.

“ _Shut. Up._ ” Weiss hissed, her breathing coming in heavy pants. “You talk too much.”

“Ah, yes, that’s right.” Ruby hummed aloud, even as she trailed kisses down Weiss’ front, taking a moment to sample each of her breasts again. Weiss squirmed underneath her, whimpering softly. “You prefer a woman of action. I remember now.”

Weiss swallowed, something in the brunette’s tone making her body respond in a way she never felt about anyone else before. She gasped heavily as Ruby trailed her fingers along her abdomen, and was acutely aware of the girl atop her, her weight pressed down on her hips and legs, her body heat, and the feeling of her lips against the sensitive skin of her belly, pressing soft, fluttering kisses everywhere she could reach.

She felt Ruby’s hand finally reach the top of her jeans and suddenly Weiss stiffened, her body like a tightened bowstring, ready to snap. She exhaled sharply and looked down to see Ruby’s silver eyes blink up at her, silently asking for permission to continue.

Weiss had gone too far to turn back now, and she was already far too aroused to put a stop to this. Not like she wanted to at any rate. She wanted it that badly, and she was sure of it now. Hell, she was even fairly sure if Ruby decided she didn’t want this, Weiss would have broken down and begged her to continue.

But Weiss Schnee did _not_ beg. Not to anyone.

“What are you waiting for?” She instead snapped, her lips curling and eyes narrowing to slits. She huffed at the other girl’s suddenly bemused expression, and moved her hands down to her own jeans, her fingers fumbling at the button and zipper to loosen them.

“Wow, when you want something, you really want something, huh?” Ruby chuckled.

Weiss snarled, her horrible arousal and irritation at Ruby’s nonchalant attitude waging a war inside her against the new, confusing sensations filling her up from inside out, and with shaking hands and legs she shimmied out of her jeans with Ruby’s help. Once she kicked away the clothes she snatched Ruby’s hand and pressed it to her belly, just above her panties.

“Just, stop talking and do it before I fucking—“

Any further words that Weiss intended to say were cut off when Ruby finally obliged the older girl, quickly slipping her hand underneath the elastic of her underwear and pressing her fingers against her, causing Weiss to lurch suddenly, a loud breath stuttering past her lips.

Weiss hissed, gasping as Ruby’s fingers curled around her, burying themselves in warm, moist flesh. She reached up and wound her hands around the brunette’s arms again, her head falling back on the bed and her eyes clenching tightly shut as she moved against Ruby’s hand.

Weiss could feel everything; the pads of Ruby’s fingers pressing against her, circling around and sliding up and down. Her lips as they traveled up her chest to her neck, taking small bites of skin to sample her taste until she reached her lips again, capturing them and the groans and whines Weiss made as she touched her. Her bare skin under Weiss’ hands, her arms and her sides, her breasts as Weiss palmed them as gently as she could despite her body not behaving the way she wanted it to. One of Weiss’ hands traveled up to Ruby’s head and buried itself in her hair, tugging at it none-too-gently. But from the girl’s pleased moan it didn’t seem like she minded the roughness.

It was all amazing; new and spectacular. It was all too much and not enough at the same time. Weiss trembled even as she moved against Ruby, her arms and legs shook and her thighs clenched with her sudden and powerful need, and she didn’t know how the _fuck_ she would ever continue to go on if Ruby didn’t make her come. She wanted more of this, and more of Ruby, and as she bucked her hips against the girl’s hand and fingers, she felt the distant, almost unreachable feeling of satisfaction well up in her belly, just barely within reach.

Weiss tightened her grip on Ruby’s hair almost painfully and pulled her head down, so her lips hovered just beside the younger girl’s ear.

“Don’t stop.” Weiss found herself whimpering, _begging_ , for what she wanted.

And Ruby didn’t.

It seemed as though Weiss Schnee would, in fact, beg to at least one person.

0 – 0 – 0

“You know, you’d better call me after this.”

Weiss’ words were the first thing either she or Ruby had said in minutes, the pair of them laying down surrounded by scattered blankets and stuffed toys. It was nearing three-thirty in the morning, according to the digital alarm clock beside Ruby’s bedside, and Weiss was just now starting to feel her extreme tiredness.

Smiling, Ruby turned around to regard the older girl, propping herself up on her elbow. “Oh yea?”

“Yes.” Weiss said flatly, her eyes narrowing. “If you don’t I will hunt you down.”

“That sounds fun, too.” Ruby snickered, laying back down and starting to play with Weiss’ hair, twisting the white strands around her fingers. “We could make a game of it, hide-and-seek like.”

“I always detested that game.” Weiss sniffed.

Giggling, Ruby nodded. “I’ll call you. I’ll text you. I’ll facetime you. Whatever you want.” She smiled widely. “So what are you doing today?”

“Studying.” Weiss answered automatically.

“Lame.” Ruby remarked. “How about you and I hang out instead. We can chill, go someplace… we’ll call it a first date.”

Weiss turned on her side to stare at the brunette. “We’ve already had sex.”

Shrugging, Ruby’s grin refused to slip. “So we skipped a step or two. That’s fine. We can go on a couple dates and make up the difference. I’m cool with that.”

Weiss considered it. She was tempted, she really was. But she still had two exams to study for and only matter of hours to prepare for them.

Ruby, or studying. Studying, or Ruby.

Fucking hell, was this what hard decisions were like?

Seeing the hesitation on Weiss face, Ruby edged forward on the bed and placed a kiss on the very tip of her nose, causing Weiss to blink twice. “How about this – we can sleep a bit, then wake up and study. But, you and I have lunch and dinner together. Girl’s gotta eat, right?”

It sounded reasonable, at least, to Weiss. She did get hungry while studying, and eating with Ruby sounded much better than eating by herself…

“You promise not to distract me while I study?” Weiss asked seriously.

Ruby’s wide grin, now familiar simply due to the mischievous twinkle in Ruby’s eyes that appeared whenever she made it, made Weiss’ eyes narrow with suspicion.

 “I solemnly swear that my intentions are absolutely honorable.”

“That is the biggest fucking lie I have ever heard in my life.”

“Aww, come one!” Ruby giggled and wiggled up against Weiss’ body. “You can trust me!”

“F-fine! You dolt! We’ll have lunch!”

“And dinner.”

“… And dinner.”

“What about after dinner?”

Weiss blinked, her lips tugging up into the barest of smiles. As Ruby grinned and talked about what they would do in the morning, she slowly felt all the anxiety and fear that had been building since that first night she found herself in the girl’s company melt away. She had only spend a number of hours with this girl, she knew, but regardless, there was a connection there she couldn’t deny and the reward her risk had brought.

And that made the whole thing worth it. Because what was life, if not a series of risks and connections?

“We’ll see how dinner goes.” Weiss said softly, settling back into Ruby’s bed and smiled as she felt the girl wrap her arm around her waist. “But things are looking go so far.”

0 – 0 – 0

**End of Part 2**

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Well, that was a thing.
> 
> Hope you all liked (or were entertained, at the very least) this interpretation of a Whitefic fic. Pretty OOC at times, but understandable if you take into account a modern college AU, and how these girls could have grown up slightly differently than canon.
> 
> ***Will work for glomps! And kudos***


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